The Mask of Vader 2: Complications
by KD Skywalker
Summary: Like most families, even the Skywalkers have complications within themselves.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; I just borrow it for a while and let my imagination run wild.

AN: Here it is! The start of part two of 'Mask of Vader'….sorry it took so long. I've been having all sorts of personal issues. But now they seem to be over for the most part and Kappie has decided to come home to me. This chapter is for Countess Jackman who has been feeling deprived. So enjoy!

Chapter One:

_A dark, menacing hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed a hold of his beige tunic. He struggled to get away, but couldn't. Out of desperation, he turned to face his captor. _

_All he could see was darkness, yet there was still something there. He finally could make it out. _

_It was a mask._

_And not just any mask. The mask that his father had been condemned to. _

"_You, like your father had been, are now mine…" the voice of Palpatine snickered at him from the beyond.

* * *

_

Luke sat up in his bed, trying to calm his breathing down. But he knew that it was utterly useless.

Ever since he had been reunited with his father as well as the rest of his family about two months ago, these nightmares had been coming.

Not every night at first, but a night here and there. Then it became every other night. And now it was every night.

And every night it was almost the same. Palpatine always reminded Luke that he was now a sith and could never be a Jedi. Yet Luke knew better. His father had returned to the light side, and so could he. And as far as Luke could tell, he was a Jedi.

But the dreams still tugged on his soul. What if Palpatine was right? What if he could never escape from the dark side? What if he wasn't as strong as his father had been?

He managed to shield his thoughts about his nightmares from his father. But Leia had managed to break through his barrier and realize what was going on. And he had made her promise not to tell anyone.

She had protested at first, but agreed not to tell anyone.

A knock on the door brought Luke out of his thoughts. He got up and answered it, acting like he was sleepy. He was too bothered at the moment to use the Force to see who was knocking on the door.

"Did you have another dream?" Leia whispered to him as he opened the door.

He nodded yes. Leia followed him into his room and shut the door quietly.

"You have to tell dad sometime. These dreams are tearing you apart." Leia pleaded with him.

"No! You don't understand Leia. He has too much to worry about already. He and Obi-Wan are trying to the Jedi Order back in sync and also trying to help mom and Bail Organa bring all the systems back under one banner of government."

Leia sighed and began to leave the room. "I hope you change your mind," she said before she left.

Luke watched her quietly leave. He knew she was right, but he was right as well.


	2. Chapter 2

AN:NO MORE FINALS! OVER A MONTH OF WRITING TIME! WOO HOO! ENJOY!

Chapter 2:

Leia slowly walked the corridors of the Senate building. All around her, Senators went here and there. All of them were rushing to various meetings that they had to go to. But Leia had only one thing on her mind. To get to her mother's office. Which just happen to be the one on the other side of the Senate building.

After about 10 more minutes of saying, "excuse me" and "pardon me", she finally made it to her mom's office.

"Oh Mistress Leia!" Threepio squealed as Leia entered her mother's office.

"Is my mother here?" Leia asked looking around the seemingly empty office.

"She's currently in an important meeting with Supreme Chancellor Organa at the moment."

"Oh," was all that Leia could say.

"I will tell her that you came by." Threepio said, practically pushing Leia out the door.

Back out in the hallway, Leia sighed heavily.

She figured that if she couldn't talk to her mother about Luke's dreams, then her father was the next one on her list. And if she couldn't get him to talk to her, then she had no idea who to turn to.

* * *

"So Hoth is our next target?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Master Yoda thinks that some Jedi went into hiding there. It's remote and cold. Palpatine would never have wanted to go out that far to look for Jedi."

"When do we leave?"

"Tonight. You better go tell Padmé and the twins good bye for now." Obi-Wan said standing up from his seat.

Anakin followed suit. They walked into the hallway of the Jedi Temple.

After Anakin had defeated Palpatine and the New Republic was created, Yoda thought that the few Jedi that remained re-inhabit the Jedi Temple and rebuild from the inside out. And so far Obi-Wan and Anakin had been able to bring around 50 Jedi out of hiding. But there were still more out there.

"Who are we going to get to fly us there?" Anakin asked as they walked down the hallway.

"Who else, but Captain Solo. I will go down to the hanger bay and have him and Chewie prepare the _Falcon _to leave."

Anakin watched Obi-Wan walk down the hallway and out of sight. He turned and walked the other way, only to walk into someone.

'_So good for Jedi reflexives'_ Anakin thought to himself as he dusted himself off. Then he looked up at whom he had walked into.

"Leia! What are you doing all the way out here." Anakin said reprimanding his daughter.

"I needed to talk to you,"

"What about?" Anakin asked beginning to take long strides down the hallway. Leia had to practically run to keep up with him.

"Its about Luke."

"What about him?" he asked without stopping or looking at him.

"He's been having nightmares. All the time. And its worrying me."

"Now Leia. Everything will be alright," Anakin said stopping and taking her by the shoulders. "But I will talk to him when Obi-Wan and I return from Hoth."

He pulled her close and hugged her. "I love you, Leia. I'll be home in a few days."

Leia said that she loved him as well and watched him walk down the hall towards the hanger bay.

"Worried you are," a raspy voice said behind her.

Leia turned around to face Master Yoda. "No Master Yoda. I'm not worried about anything," she said quickly turning and walking away.

Yoda stood there for a second and frowned. Leia Skywalker was hiding something and it was something that needed to be worried about.

* * *

As Leia was walking out of the Jedi Temple, she bumped into Han.

"What's the hurry?" Han asked.

"Nothing. I just want to go home. I have a lot on my mind."

"Well tell me. I can be a good listener."

Leia looked at him and smiled. Then she began to tell Han Solo everything that she had wanted to tell her parents.

* * *

"_Kill Anakin Skywalker. Kill the Skywalkers."_

Palpatine's voice rang loud and clear. A mission was set.

To kill the Skywalker family and become free…


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry that this took so freakin' long to post! Working on the student newspaper is kicking my booty! But I love it anyways. So here it is and enjoy!

Chapter Three:

"Everything is ready." Han said as he finished the last check of the _Falcon_.

He didn't like going on this trip, especially after what Leia had told him about Luke.

"Good. We'll leave as soon as Obi-Wan gets here," Anakin said, looking around the hanger bay.

This wasn't like Obi-Wan. He was usually the punctual one about things.

After a few minutes, Obi-Wan entered the hanger bay. He motioned for Anakin to the side.

"What is it Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked concerned.

"You're not going to Hoth."

"Why?"

"It's not for me to say. Master Yoda would like to see you."

Anakin stood there dumbfounded for a second as Obi-Wan walked away and board the _Falcon._

He slowly turned and left the hanger bay as the _Falcon _took off behind him.

* * *

"Worried your daughter is." Master Yoda said as he tapped his cane on the ground. Anakin sat on a bench in front of him.

The old Jedi Master starred at Anakin, who said nothing at first.

"Are you sure Master?" Anakin asked somewhat confused. When he had seen her earlier that afternoon, she seemed fine to him.

Wait.

She had mentioned something about Luke having nightmares.

Anakin quickly stood up and left the room where he and Yoda had been. Yoda didn't say a word when Anakin left. He knew that Anakin had realized his mistake.

* * *

There was a soft knock.

"Come in," Leia said, sniffling softly. She turned over on her bed and saw her father come into her room.

He could sense that she something was bugging her.

"Let's talk," he said sitting down on her bed.

"Are you sure you have time to talk to me now? Or are you just going to rush off to Hoth as soon as we're done?" she asked turning back over and looking at the wall.

"Leia, I am sorry for not talking with you earlier. And no, I'm not going to Hoth. Obi-Wan went without me. So will you tell me what is bugging you?"

Leia turned over and starred the Jedi Master directly in the eyes. Anakin swore that he saw fire in her eyes. She was mad! He had never seen Leia mad before.

That was when he noticed something about his 16-year-old daughter. She was exactly like her mother.

This conversation wasn't going to be pleasant. And Anakin knew it.

"Everyone's been too busy to talk to me. Mom is busy putting the galaxy back in order and you are too busy finding the lost Jedi knights to even notice that Luke has been having nightmares! And lately he has been having them nightly! But no one seems to care except for me. Oh and Han." Leia practically screamed at him.

"Just calm down Leia. Please…."

Anakin stopped.

"Did you say Han cared?"

Leia nodded yes.

Anakin put the thought of Leia and Han together out of his mind for the time being. "Now tell me what you know about Luke's nightmares."

Leia calmly told her father about the last few weeks and how Luke would have nightmares here and there, but then the nightmares increased to every night.

"What are they about? Has he told you?"

Leia slowly nodded yes. "Something about still being under Palpatine's control. I can feel when he has the nightmares and it scares me."

Anakin leaned in and kissed his daughter's forehead. "It's alright princess. It's only a dream."

Leia forced a smile as she nodded at her father.

"I'm going to talk to your brother." Anakin said, walking towards Leia's bedroom door. Then he turned around to look at Leia one more time.

"Next time, kick me to make me listen to you."

Leia laughed. "Alright," she said smiling.

* * *

She slipped in and out of the shadows of Courscant quickly.

Her mission was to destroy the Skywalker family one at a time. Then she would be free. Free of her bondage to her former Master.

This wasn't going to be an easy task.

Taking on a Jedi Master wasn't her idea of fun. But it was what needed to be done.

_The son is most vulnerable_, she thought to herself.

Her first target was going to be Luke Skywalker.

* * *

Kelista felt it.

She felt her daughter close by.

Or at least someone who felt like her daughter.

Something was very wrong…

Something bad was about to happen…and she knew it.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I'm on a writing kick at the moment, so enjoy!

Chapter Four:

Anakin sat in meditation. He was trying to figure out what Leia had told. How could Luke still be under Palpatine's control?

If Obi-Wan had been there, he would look to him for guidance. But he wasn't there.

Then there was Master Yoda. As far as Anakin could tell, Yoda somehow managed to know everything. All the more reason for the Yoda to be the strongest Jedi ever.

And it was always Yoda who had the faith in him to revert back to the light side so long ago.

He decided that it would be best to consult with Yoda about this issue.

Anakin stood up and head back to the Jedi Temple from the apartment.

As he was walking, he noticed what time it was on his chrono.

It was about the time that Luke always met Padmé at the Senate building. This was their special time to bond.

* * *

"_Good, I can kill two Skywalkers with one attack,"_ she thought to herself as she watched the mother and son embrace each other and begin to walk towards a transport. A golden droid followed closely behind them.

This was the transport that she had managed to slip a small explosive onto.

She took out a detonator out of her pocket and waited until the mother and son were almost to the transport before letting her finger press down on the button.

The transport exploded.

She watched as people scattered everywhere, running for their lives. Finally, she picked out the Skywalkers.

Luke Skywalker was standing up and looking all around, before helping his mother up off the ground. To her left, she noticed that New Republic guards were running towards the Vice Chancellor. It was now or never.

She leapt down from her perch and into the ensuing chaos below.

* * *

Luke sensed something was coming towards them. He moved his mother behind him, to protect her and ignited his lightsaber.

In the smoke and dust, he saw a young woman land on the ground, ignite a lightsaber and come charging at them.

This was the last thing that he needed today. First his dreams and now this.

Padmé moved further back against a building to ease Threepio's current frantic nature and watched in horror as her sixteen-year-old son parry against this unknown attacker, who was very well trained in the Jedi arts. Could this woman be Sith?

Two New Republic guards tried to sneak up on the female, who quickly leapt up and over them then easily handled them. Padmé gasped in horror.

Where was Anakin when she needed him the most?

* * *

Kelista ran as fast as she could down the Jedi Temple corridors. She needed to find Anakin Skywalker and she needed to find him now.

There had been an attack of some sort near the Galactic Senate and Kelista feared that her daughter might have something to do with it. And even worse, there were reports saying that the Vice Chancellor was in the middle of it all.

"Anakin!" she yelled at his tall figure, who was walking the other way. "Anakin wait!"

Anakin stopped and turned around, sensing Kelista's urgency. "What's wrong, Kelista?" he quickly asked.

"There's been an attack at the Galactic Senate."

That was all Anakin needed to hear.

* * *

Luke struggled to continue his parry against the unknown obvious Sith. He knew that he had to learn who she was and what she wanted, as well as protect his mother. He could hear Threepio fussing over Padmé, trying to keep her safe.

"Who are you!" he demanded as he blocked a downward blow.

"An agent of someone who wants you dead!" she responded.

She pulled back before she was going to attack Luke again, when a Force push knocked her down and held her firmly in place.

Anakin and Kelista came running into the chaos and without hesitation joined in on the fight.

"You're not going to kill anyone today." Anakin said, taking her lightsaber away and holding her in place as guards put restraints on her.

"Take her to the Jedi Temple." Anakin said, slipping her lightsaber onto his belt.

"Yes Master Skywalker," one of the guards said.

Kelista watched with sadness in her eyes as her daughter was led away. Something was still controlloiung her.

"Oh Mara," she whispered. "What is wrong with you?"

Anakin caught wind of what Kelista had whispered and was going to ask her about it, when Padmé launched herself into her husband's protective embrace. She began to cry against his chest.

"Shh. It's alright Padmé. Everyone is alright." Anakin whispered. Then he looked up at his son and smiled.

To Luke, that smile meant everything to him. It meant that his father was proud of him. He smiled back.

Then the Skywalker family made their way back home.

There was a lot to be discussed and considered about their new situation.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Look what I took out and dusted off!!!! So enjoy!!!!!

Chapter Five:

Leia and Alyssa had just finished preparing dinner, when everyone returned home. Just the look on everyone's faces told the story.

Something happened.

Something bad.

Nobody spoke a word during dinner. Neither Leia nor Alyssa asked what happened, especially since they both knew that a family meeting would be called after dinner.

"Someone wants us all dead," Anakin said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. He stood pacing the living room, while everyone else sat around him.

"What happened?" Alyssa wearily asked.

Luke told his sister and cousin about what happened near the Senate offices.

"But who is it?" Leia asked.

For a second no one said anything. There weren't any real answers.

"I think the attacker was Kelista's daughter." Anakin finally said.

"What makes you think that dad?" Luke asked.

"As the guards were taking the attacker to the Jedi Temple, I heard Kelista whisper something about Mara. I'm just guessing, that's all," Anakin said frustrated as he sat down on the couch next to Padmé.

"So what now?" Padmé gently asked looking at her husband.

"Tonight we'll be fine. Tomorrow, we all will go talk to Master Yoda," Anakin said putting an arm around his wife. "Hopefully he will know what to do."

* * *

Kelista slowly paced back and forth in front of the cell door to where Mara was being held. Yoda and Sasha Minck, a Jedi healer, were in there with her at the moment.

All Kelista wanted to know was if her daughter was still her daughter or if she had been consumed by the dark side and Palpatine.

The door slowly opened as Yoda and Sasha walked out. Kelista immediately knelt down by the old Jedi master's side.

"Your daughter she is in body," Yoda said. "Not in mind."

"What is she going to have to do Master Yoda?" she asked.

"She needs time, Kelista." Sasha said. "That is all we know right now."

Kelista sighed. Hopefully they were right about Mara – all she would need would be time.

* * *

Anakin watched the speeders of Courscant wiz by. They were going about as fast as his thoughts were at the moment. Luke's dreams and the attack on his wife and son earlier that day. For the first time since Palpatine's defeat, Anakin felt that his world was collapsing around him. He thought that his family was safe for the most part. And for once in a long time, he was wrong.

"Luke has been having nightmares." Anakin said still starring out the bedroom window. Padmé sat on their bed.

"About what?"

"Palpatine and the dark side."

"How do you know?" Padmé asked.

"Leia," he said turning to look at Padmé.

Padmé gasped. "That must have been what she had come by to tell me this afternoon. Threepio told me that she had come to see me."

Anakin sat down next to her on the bed. "I brushed her off as well. Some how Yoda found out and stopped me from going with Obi-Wan to Hoth. He felt that this was more important."

"What are you going to do?"

"Talk to him about it I guess," he said sighing. "What else should I do?"

"I think you should talk to him too," she said laying her head against his shoulder.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. It was moments like this that Anakin thanked the Force for.


	6. Chapter 6

AN:I know that this isn't a long chapter, but it helped me plan a bit. So enjoy!

Chapter 6:

Anakin lay in bed thinking while Padmé slept. Were they going to have to leave Courscant to seek out safety? Or were they just going to get through this the same way they had overcame so much else as a family in the last few years.

After a bit longer of not being able to sleep, he got out of bed and walked towards the veranda that came off the living room. As he was walking past Luke's room, he stumbled slightly then caught himself.

"Ouch!" Leia said.

Anakin had been in such deep thought that he hadn't noticed Leia was sleeping on the floor in front of Luke's door. He helped her up off the floor.

"what are you doing Leia?" he whispered.

"Making sure that Luke doesn't have any more nightmares."

Anakin led Leia through the apartment to the veranda.

"What makes you think sleeping outside of his room would help him?" he asked, once they were outside.

"I thought that if he knew I was close to him, it might help him more." she softly said. "was I wrong daddy?"

"I can't answer that princess," Anakin said pulling her close. "You and Luke share a bond that few have. You are twins. You helped him once and maybe you can help him once again. But I don't think sleeping outside of his bedroom is the way to do that."

"Ok daddy."

* * *

Yoda frowned. Something wasn't right in the Force. It wasn't the current issue with Mara Jade nor was it the issue of Luke Skywalker's nightmares.

This was something deeper.

Something worse.

And whatever it was, it wasn't good.


End file.
